The Commissioner of Police in Zamfara State, Kolo Yusuf, has pledged to bring an end to insurgency in the state within three months.
Kolo made this commitment during a meeting with various stakeholders including organised labour unions, religious leaders, civil society organisations and journalists on Thursday.
His declaration came alongside a call for the suspension of the proposed nationwide protest by the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) scheduled for February 27 and 28.
The CP attributed the planned protest to the removal of fuel subsidy by President Bola Tinubu’s administration, adding that by the next three months, all insurgency-related problems will be resolved.
“The major problem associated with this is the withdrawal of fuel subsidies, and it was not done by this government,” Yusuf stated.
He stated the need for patience and support for the government, as efforts are being made to address the insurgency issue.
According to the police boss in the state, both the federal and state governments have initiated measures to tackle the insurgency, expressing confidence that the situation will be resolved within the stipulated time frame.
Kolo urged the stakeholders to reconsider their stance on the protest, stating the impact such actions could have on the state.
“By the time all of you here don’t work, you will bring the state down to its knees. The bandits are there and refuse to allow anyone to farm.
“I don’t sleep anymore. I keep calling DPOs and area commanders just to resolve the problem,” he remarked.
In response, the Chairman of the TUC in Zamfara State, Saidu Mudi, stated that the group could not cancel the protest as they had not received any directive from their national leadership to do so.
He said, “You were there, you witnessed the session.
“He has spoken as the CP on how he wanted the labour unions to back down on the strike actions.
But for us, there is no way that we can shelve our planned strike because we have not received any directives from the national leadership. We are going ahead with it except an agreement is reached.”
The organised labour had planned a two-day nationwide protest over the high cost of living, inflation, insecurity and hardship in the country.
However, in another twist, the TUC backed out of the planned protest, saying that the decision to protest on the said dates was not taken collectively by both unions.